⬆️ Malawi’s Cliffhanger: Court Says Count Can Proceed As Chakwera Seeks Review
Malawi’s election drama tightened on Tuesday as a High Court granted President Lazarus Chakwera permission to challenge how the Malawi Electoral Commission handled his party’s complaints, but refused to halt the presidential tally or stop the declaration of results.
In a handwritten order seen by our correspondent, Mwape Nthegwa, the judge ruled: “Application for leave to apply for judicial review is granted. However, the order restraining the respondent from declaring the presidential results is not granted.” Translation for voters: the legal fight may continue, yet the count and a declaration can still happen.
Security has been stepped up across Lilongwe, Blantyre and other flashpoints ahead of the Commission’s plan to announce the presidential results tonight. Malawi voted on September 16. Eight days later, the stakes could not be higher.
Provisional district tallies released so far show former president Peter Mutharika holding a commanding lead of roughly 66 percent of valid votes, with President Lazarus Chakwera near 24 percent, and other candidates far behind. Two big facts frame the night: Malawi’s system requires more than 50 percent to win outright, and the Commission has until the end of Wednesday to pronounce verified results.
Tensions surged after Chakwera’s Malawi Congress Party alleged “irregularities” and sought what it called a physical audit. The Commission has pushed back, saying it is committed to “transparency, accuracy and credibility,” and has withheld some district results while it double-checks figures.
Police confirmed eight data-entry clerks were arrested on suspicion of attempting to manipulate results. The message from the umpire: checks are happening, the process continues.
Pressure on the incumbent is building. The Malawi Council of Churches urged Chakwera to accept the people’s verdict. Former president Bakili Muluzi publicly encouraged him to concede, saying “there is life after State House.” Chakwera’s camp insists more votes from key councils will lift his numbers and has not ruled out further court action if needed.
Context matters. Malawi’s Constitutional Court annulled Mutharika’s 2019 win over irregularities. Chakwera won the 2020 re-run with a landslide. Five years on, a grinding economic crisis and rolling power cuts have soured public mood. This election is both a verdict on performance and a stress test of institutions still shaped by that historic court ruling.
What tonight’s call could mean.
• If Mutharika is declared winner above 50 percent: Chakwera’s judicial review proceeds on process, not on stopping the result. Any remedies would have to be specific and evidence-driven.
• If no one crosses 50 percent: Malawi heads to a runoff, and every legal challenge becomes leverage over rules, timelines and recounts.
For now, the signal is clear. The court opened a legal lane for the President, but it did not put the brakes on the election. The Commission will speak. The country will listen. And the region will be watching how Malawi balances passion, law and peace on a very long day eight.
© The People’s Brief | Regional —Ollus R. Ndomu